Tuesday

Nov 26, 2013 at 5:24 PMNov 26, 2013 at 8:58 PM

A former Health Management Associates executive has been indicted on a charge of obstructing a federal investigation.Joshua S. Putter, 48, of Needham, Mass., is accused of falsifying a document in October 2008. HMA, a for-profit hospital system based in Naples, is in the process of acquiring Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach through a long-term lease. Putter served as a division president for HMA from 1994 until May 2011 and most recently was with Steward Health Care in Boston, according to his LinkedIn profile. He took an indefinite leave for personal reasons in June but is no longer with the company, according to Brooke Thurston, vice president of media relations for Steward.Putter was indicted Oct. 3, and the document was unsealed Tuesday. He made an initial appearance in federal court in Fort Myers and was released on bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum 20 years in federal prison. The indictment does not detail what the federal investigation entailed. HMA has been subject to several inquiries involving the company’s admission practices. HMA issued a prepared statement in response to the indictment: “The United States Department of Justice alerted the company to the unsealed indictment of Mr. Putter on Nov. 26, 2013. Health Management has been cooperating with the DOJ’s inquiry and will continue to do so.”The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General investigated the case. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Lazarus and Chief Assistant United States Attorney Nicole H. Waid.HMA is poised to be acquired by Community Health Systems, another for-profit health system based in Franklin, Tenn., pending final approval.

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